Developing a Dementia Care Training Curriculum for Registered Dietitians

Abstract Research supports the need for healthcare providers who are trained in providing care to older adults with dementia. However, few training options exist for Registered Dietitians (RDs) seeking dementia care training that is specific to nutrition. The purpose of this project was to adapt an existing dementia care training curriculum to meet the learning needs of RDs. The development team included two experts in dementia training and two RDs with expertise in gerontological nutrition. The new training module was based on the existing Positive Approach to Care™ (PAC) curriculum, which incorporates Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory and the Adult Experiential Learning Cycle. The development team first identified learning objectives for content that would be relevant to RDs who work with persons living with dementia, and modified components of the existing PAC curriculum to meet these objectives. After a preliminary pilot, the 2-hour program was presented to 20 RDs using a combination of lecture presentation, experiential learning, and skill-building techniques. Participants were provided written materials to reinforce the concepts presented. Participants answered five dementia-specific questions before and after the training, and overall, the average percentage of correct answers improved following the training. Two weeks following the training, participants completed an open-ended survey to provide feedback on the training. Participants responded favorably to the mixed learning formats in the training. When asked to rank their preferred learning methods, participants indicated lecture-based learning and experiential learning as their top preferred methods. These findings indicate that the adapted curriculum may improve dementia knowledge among RDs.


CULTIVATING GENERATIVE CONNECTION THROUGH AGRICULTURAL LEADERSHIP Kyle Bower, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, United States
Adult agricultural leadership programs (ALP) address the needs of a diversifying society with pressing social, economic, environmental, and political challenges. Additionally, these programs offer transformative learning experiences that lead to a greater capacity of current and prospective leaders to become change agents in their communities. Our aging society generates a novel opportunity to reframe experiences of professional succession and retirement within the agricultural sector. In a profession where vitality, strength, and perseverance are fundamental, the agricultural industry needs leaders who remain aware of the foundational knowledge contributed by their predecessors. At the same time, it also necessitates innovation that may revolutionize the farming industry for decades to come. In this mixed-method study, we asked participants of an ALP in the Southeastern region of the U.S. to complete the Loyola Generativity Scale (N=45). Survey results (N=45; 60% response rate) indicated average overall generative (40.3; 40-41 scale average) concern. However, there was a considerable variation among participants, scores ranging from 25-57 (scale range 20-55). To understand the range of attitudes, we conducted interviews (N=10) to represent the distribution of scores by varying ages (M=38), gender, and educational background. Generativity Theory provided the foundation of our thematic qualitative analysis. We discuss the findings in terms of generative desire (motivational), beliefs (thoughts and plans), and actions (behaviors and applied meaning). Our quantitative and qualitative findings advance the conversation of the importance of maintaining social capital throughout one's career and identifying generative connections that assist with difficult transitions, such as retirement, in later life. Research supports the need for healthcare providers who are trained in providing care to older adults with dementia. However, few training options exist for Registered Dietitians (RDs) seeking dementia care training that is specific to nutrition. The purpose of this project was to adapt an existing dementia care training curriculum to meet the learning needs of RDs. The development team included two experts in dementia training and two RDs with expertise in gerontological nutrition. The new training module was based on the existing Positive Approach to Care™ (PAC) curriculum, which incorporates Kolb's Experiential Learning Theory and the Adult Experiential Learning Cycle. The development team first identified learning objectives for content that would be relevant to RDs who work with persons living with dementia, and modified components of the existing PAC curriculum to meet these objectives. After a preliminary pilot, the 2-hour program was presented to 20 RDs using a combination of lecture presentation, experiential learning, and skill-building techniques. Participants were provided written materials to reinforce the concepts presented. Participants answered five dementia-specific questions before and after the training, and overall, the average percentage of correct answers improved following the training. Two weeks following the training, participants completed an open-ended survey to provide feedback on the training. Participants responded favorably to the mixed learning formats in the training. When asked to rank their preferred learning methods, participants indicated lecture-based learning and experiential learning as their top GSA 2020 Annual Scientific Meeting Innovation in Aging, 2020, Vol. 4, No. S1 preferred methods. These findings indicate that the adapted curriculum may improve dementia knowledge among RDs.

ELDER FAMILY FINANCIAL EXPLOITATION: THE COMPLEXITY OF ROLES AND FAMILY CONTEXT
Athena Chung Yin Chan, 1 and Marlene Stum, 2 1. University of Saint Paul,Minnesota,United States,2. University of Minnesota,Twin Cities,Saint Paul,Minnesota,United States Despite elder family financial exploitation (EFFE) being recognized as the most prevalent type of elder abuse, little is known about the family context in which it occurs. To-date most EFFE research has focused on understanding the profiles of one victim and one perpetrator in reported cases. Informed by Family Systems Theory, this study offers new insight into the range and complexity of EFFE victim and perpetrator roles, family structures (relationship types across generations) and living arrangements. A mixed-methods dataset from a sample of non-perpetrator/non-victim concerned family members who experienced EFFE (most unreported to authorities) was utilized to map and analyze 23 family system genograms. The findings reflect four overall profiles when organized by the number of victim(s) and perpetrator(s) in each involved family system including: Single victim, single perpetrator (n=7), Single victim, multiple perpetrators (n=12), Two victims, single perpetrator (n=1), and Two victims, multiple perpetrators (n=3). Across the 4 profiles, most primary perpetrators moved in to live with the elder victims. For Single victim, single perpetrator cases, remarried spouses, as well as parent/adult child relationships in nuclear families with 2-3 adult children emerged. For Single victim, multiple perpetrators, up to five family perpetrators from 3 different nuclear families were involved, including adult children, their in-laws, and grandchildren as a common combination of perpetrators. The findings suggest EFFE is more complex than often assumed, involving multiple perpetrators and victims, and family relationship types beyond older parent/adult child. Implications for reframing risk profiles, assessment tools, and family-focused intervention strategies are discussed.

FOSTERING AN UNDERSTANDING OF INTERPROFESSIONAL APPROACHES TO GERIATRICS Anna Faul, Pamela Yankeelov, and Sam Cotton, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky, United States
Serving older adults with multiple chronic conditions and variable social, emotional, or physical support effectively within the primary care setting requires an interdisciplinary approach to care, together with the integration of novel approaches to care coordination (Dorr et al, 2006). The purpose of this study is to examine the use of interprofessional learning models to educate a healthcare workforce that meets the needs of older adults by integrating geriatrics with primary care, maximizing patient engagement, and transforming the healthcare system. Specifically, the targeted learners for this curriculum were from a healthcare system in Belize that had no previous specialty training in interprofessional geriatrics care. The 4-day training took place in Belize with an interprofessional group of healthcare professionals that included social work, nursing and medicine. 100 learners participated in the trainings and including participants from social work, nursing and medicine. To evaluate the program, Kirkpatrick's Training Evaluation Model (Kirkpatrick & Kirkpatrick, 2005) was used to determine if learners were satisfied with the content (reaction), skilled (knowledge & skill) and confident in their abilities to utilize the curriculum (application of knowledge & skills). Analysis showed that learners, irrespective of discipline, were satisfied with the program. All disciplines experienced significant differences in their self-efficacy with working on interdisciplinary teams from pre to post assessments. Specifically, there was an increase in learner's confidence related to learning to work together cooperatively with other professions and how to communicate effectively with other members of an interprofessional team. Implications for future interprofessional curriculum will be discussed.

LONGITUDINAL IMPACT OF AN INTERDISCIPLINARY COURSE ON AGING FOR FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS
Matthew Picchiello, 1 Nancy Morrow-Howell, 2 Susan Stark, 2 and Brian Carpenter, 2 1. Washington University in St. Louis,University City,Missouri,United States,2. Washington University in St. Louis,St. Louis,Missouri,United States Undergraduate courses on aging have the potential to counteract negative stereotypes about older adults and to shift students' academic plans as they learn about agingrelated opportunities. For six years we have taught an interdisciplinary course on aging for first-year undergraduate students. We present longitudinal data on students' attitudes and academic trajectories after taking the course. Students who took the course (n = 314) and comparable students who were not in the course (n = 353) were surveyed prior to and at the end of their first semester and at the end of each subsequent academic year. At each time point students rated the degree to which aging issues are relevant to their personal and professional lives. Students also reported agingrelated curricular and extracurricular activities they pursued. Multivariate repeated-measures analyses revealed a significant interaction such that personal and professional relevance of aging issues were lower and remained stable for students not in the class, and were higher and increased for students in the class, F(2,226) = 13.18, F(2,226) = 14.94, p's < .01. However, for course students, relevance returned to baseline levels by the end of their first year and remained constant in subsequent years. Results from chi-square analyses revealed that students in the class reported more engagement in agingrelated courses, χ2(1) = 8.3, research projects, χ2(1) = 90.1, and extracurriculars, χ2(2) = 20.6, p's < .01. Results suggest that exposing students to information about aging early has the potential to alter academic trajectories, highlighting the importance of early education.

LONG-TERM EFFECTS OF ABUSE IN LATER LIFE PERPETRATED BY FAMILY MEMBERS
Naomi Meinertz, 1 Pi-Ju Liu, 2 and Ron Acierno, 3 1. Iowa State University, Ames,Iowa,United States,2. Purdue University,West Lafayette,Indiana,United States,3. UT Health Sciences Houston,Houston,Texas,United States Abuse in later life could potentially lead to lower levels of social support, especially when perpetrated by family